An unusual milk bottle cap find. This is a never used, new old stock piece, in as printed shape prior to it being formed into a milk bottle cap during the manufacturing or bottling process. It is a largely flat circular piece of paperboard or very thin cardboard that has pre-formed ridges in it. The center is flat without ridges and has the product and dairy identification information. Our guess is that during the bottling process the center flat portion would have been placed on top of the milk bottle and then the bottling machine would have crimped or formed the outer edges of the paperboard to hold the cap onto the bottle (we don't know that for certain, but this is how it looks to us).

Vintage milk bottle cap piece for Lone Pine Farms in Hanover, New Jersey. According to some internet research, this dairy began operation in 1905 and closed in 1985. We don't know when during that period this flat cap would have been used, but from the graphics and type we would guess that it was used during the 1930s-1950s period.

Copy on bottle cap identifies this was for Pasteurized Milk, Min. 4% Butterfat, but does not indicate the ounces or bottle/package size. There is a graphic of a cow head around which is stated "Guernsey Milk". The cap also states "Produced in New Jersey from T.B. Tested Cows, During the 24 Hour Period Ending 6 A.M." We think this refers to tuberculosis testing which we read was an issue that dairies would point out on their products during the 1930's, so that may further indicate this dates to the 1930s, we don't know for sure.

Measures about 4 1/8 inches in full diameter. The black circle graphic at the center measures about 1 15/16 inches in diameter. The base color is a clean white with orange and black printing. On the portion which would be crimped, there is a cross-hatch orange printing with 3 "S" letters in a Red Cross type graphic. The backside of this piece is all white with no printing.

We actually have a large number of this same milk bottle cap, all purchased at the same time from the same prior owner (along with two other similar caps which we are listing separately). The price shown is for one milk bottle cap. We've included images of one milk bottle cap as a sample.

We've provided 7 images to show both sides, close-ups, and to try and show the raised ridges to this piece as well as its thin paperboard construction. The camera lighting gave us trouble, sometimes blanding out the full piece with white "hot spots" so some images were shot with less lighting than others. That, of course, also makes some images look dark. We guarantee that in person you will see this is a clean white looking piece.

Excellent unused condition. Among all of these caps there are slight variations in condition but they are all very similar, none in bad shape. These have a bit of edge chipping and some light black ink smearing via thin lines or smudging (the amount of this varying by cap). There is also slight variation with the orange background printing, sometimes this not fully covering the area or there being some tiny white dots or yellow spots in the orange from uneven ink application during printing. This is all as made and to be expected, these things were not perfectly printed, and perhaps a bit of storage wear from however this was stored by the former owner. But they are in great overall shape and an unusual addition to any milk bottle cap collection.

If you are interested in more than one of these caps, or wish to combine purchase of one of these with one of the other listed milk bottle caps, please e-mail us prior to inputting the order. The system is set up to charge shipping as if each cap was shipped separately and will not automatically provide you the postage savings you would get from shipping more than one cap in the same package. We would be pleased to calculate that for you. These milk bottle caps will be shipped encased in cardboard to help protect them from bending during shipping.